Page 111 of Drop Three

Am I naive? Do I have a terrible sense of reading people? Because everything about Bodhi told me he was serious and no bullshitting was involved.

“This is confusing me. Even if you were right, it wouldn’t matter; I’m seeing Crew now,” I tell them.

They ignore me.

“Can I ask when exactly you guys hooked up?” Kodi asks with a look of unease.

“I told you, Kodi. It was in Fiji, the day after your wedding at the mud pools.”

“But do you remember the time?” she asks.

Why does she need the time? Does she have security footage to watch or does she want a play-by-play?

I give her a confused look. “Uh, I don’t know. Your parents set our reservation for one in the afternoon, so I’d say around two o’clock. Why?”

Kodi’s eyes bulge in what looks like shock.

“Why, Kodi? What’s that look for?” I ask her.

I watch and wait as Kodi chugs the rest of her Diet Coke and shoves a chocolate chip cookie from her purse into her mouth. “Shit. Mother trucker.”

I roll my eyes. I’ll never understand her quirky slang.

“Speak, please,” I tell her, getting more impatient by the minute.

Tenley and Penelope sit quietly in our booth, waiting for Kodi to continue.

“I may know why Bodhi reacted the way he did,” Kodi admits.

What?

I’m not sure what she means, but I know my best friend. She would never screw around with my emotions just for the sake of it.

She knows something.

“Okay…”

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

My eyes find Penelope beside me shoving handfuls of chips in her mouth. “Sorry, I eat when I’m anxious.”

Kodi sends her a dry laugh and says, “Same, girl. Same,” before finally turning toward me and giving me the answer I’ve asked myself over and over again the last few months. “Callaway may have texted Bodhi around that same time telling him to return you unharmed.”

I’m unable to shut my mouth. I’m pretty sure it’s stuck open in shock. Meanwhile, Kodi shoves another cookie in her mouth and stares at me like I might break.

“And the hits keep on coming…” Penelope says through crunches.

“Another round, please.” Tenley signals the bartender.

I haven’t even touched my first round.

At this point, I don’t see eating or drinking in my near future. I’m too queasy to look at food right now.

“How is that even possible, Kodi?” I ask her, confused and questioning everything. “Wait…oh, god. His phone was going off...”

Kodi’s head sinks.

“That was Cal?” I ask her.

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